Threnody
by Keitorin Asthore
Summary: Everything was changing for Kurt, and he wasn't ready for it. But when he is abruptly taken from his own timeline, he'd welcome any change if it just meant he could get home to Blaine, who's still searching desperately for him. Cowritten with Kivrin.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not us.

Written as a collaboration between Kivrin and Keitorin Asthore.

The Clio Nav Corporation has no involvement in this documentation.

* * *

><p>"There's nothing more I can do."<p>

The admission was bitter, murmured quietly into the unsettling stillness. A bird call outside echoed harshly, then cut off, the silence returning louder than ever.

"I've tried everywhere," Lisbet said tiredly, running a hand over her face. Kurt thought worriedly that she looked so much older and more tired than she had when it all began, only a few weeks earlier. He blinked against the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm him, trying to keep his head still to avoid another wave of pain. "Every infirmary is full – even the temporary ones in the schools and churches. There's no medicine, no masks – there's nothing."

Kurt groaned quietly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to think. "Food?" he asked wearily.

"There was little enough before everyone fled," Lisbet said sharply. "War effort, remember? And then they panicked. Locked themselves away with what they had, or left entirely. There's nothing left to find."

Kurt tried to sit up, bracing his arm flat against the wall for support, but the wave of dizziness knocked him back. Lisbet was by his side in a second, gentle hands at odds with the scowl on her face. "Don't be an idiot," she muttered sharply. She pushed him back onto the thin pillow and re-moistened the damp cloth that brought a little relief to the sharp pain on the left side of his skull.

He scowled at her, ready to scold back, but was interrupted by the harsh, rattling gasp of breath at his side. Lucy's cough shattered the air, rasping on and on until Kurt's own lungs hurt in sympathy. She finally shuddered to a halt, gasping heavily for breath as she curled in around herself. Her cheeks were flushed with fever, and Kurt could see her shivering under the thin coverlet.

"What I wouldn't give for an asprin," Lisbet muttered. She crossed the small space of the room quickly, wiping gently at Lucy's face with another cloth. "Shh, shh, love," she said quietly. "Just sleep. Help's coming."

"Is it?" Kurt looked over to the window where Theo perched in the sill, arms wrapped around his knees. He didn't look into the dim room, face turned out to the dying light of the evening. "Not from where I'm sitting. Let's not kid ourselves."

"Not helping, MacGregor," Kurt growled. "They're coming. You saw Francey - she almost reached us. It's just a matter of time."

"Time," Theo muttered, smiling bitterly. He tipped his head back against the sill and closed his eyes. "No, time's the enemy here. The whole world's dying out there – fifty million, a hundred million. What makes you think we've got a prayer?"

"They're coming for us," Lisbet said firmly. Kurt knew her too well to believe the excellent mimicry of sincerity in her voice. "They know where we are, and they've tried once. They'll try again."

"How many times?" Theo argued. "How many shots do they have? And how long do you think we have left? No food, no medicine, and the world is burning." His voice cracked on the last word, and he turned away.

"My dad will come." Kurt's certainty was a rock. "Blaine won't leave me. Francey and Finn and Carole – they're not going to give up. I'll put that against the world any day."

"We've been through worse," Lucy murmured, not opening her eyes. "War and famine and fire." She coughed again, quiet and desperate. Theo watched her unhappily, twisting his hands into knots and dropping his forehead to his knees for a moment.

Kurt struggled to sit up again, despite his head. Knowing that his dad and Blaine were probably watching, trying desperately to reach him, made him want nothing more than to show them that he was fighting too. Giving up was not an option - not after everything they'd already been through.

Theo looked out the window again, blue eyes narrowed. "Crows," he observed.

Lucy stirred restlessly, gasping a deep, labored breath. "One for sorrow," she whispered hoarsely. She smiled, flushed and feverish, and Kurt felt a stab of fear. They were going to lose her, and there was nothing more Lisbet could do. Nothing more any of them could do but wait for the world to end. Lucy drew another breath, and finished. "Two for mirth."

And then there was light, golden and clear, bursting forth from the swirling wall of shimmering colors that had sprung up in the middle of the room. Kurt sat bolt upright, ignoring the stabbing agony that flashed through his skull. Finn stepped out of the light, looking lost and terrified, and more than a little like salvation.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Project Threnody has commenced. Be observant. Much more to follow.

For more information regarding this case, please consult the previous documentation recorded by Kivrin, "Course Corrections" and "Morning Shows the Day."


	2. A Threnody for Freedom

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not us.

Written as a collaboration between Kivrin and Keitorin Asthore.

The Clio Nav Corporation has no involvement in this documentation.

* * *

><p><em>Some time earlier…<em>

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Dalton Academy for Boys' one-hundred-twenty-first graduation exercises!"

Kurt shifted in his seat in excitement, the late spring sunshine warming the back of his neck. I should have put on more sunscreen, he thought.

He knotted his fingers together and tried to focus on the elderly speaker on the stage. Dalton had asked some sort of distinguished alumni to come and speak for graduation, but Kurt couldn't seem to care. His thoughts began to wander.

In two hours, graduation would be over.

In three hours, he would be at his graduation party (well, joint graduation party with his stepbrother- McKinley's graduation had been the previous week, but Finn had gamely agreed to postpone the party until they were both high school graduates).

In one week, he would have officially moved out of his dorm room on Dalton's campus, the room he'd shared with Theo since his sophomore year.

In three months, he would be in New York City, moving into his brand new dorm, all alone in the big city, hours and hours away from home.

Kurt swallowed hard. He was thrilled about it. Of course he was. He'd cried the day his acceptance letter came in the mail.

But…

He wasn't sure if he was ready to leave.

He felt ancient and too young all at the same time. On one hand, he felt like he'd seen enough and done enough for an entire lifetime. On the other hand, he still felt like he was just a kid, that he wasn't ready to do this at all.

The student beside him poked his arm. "Stand up," he whispered.

Kurt stood quickly, his navy satin graduation gown billowing around him as the school's headmaster began reading off names for students to accept their diplomas. Don't trip, Hummel, he told himself sternly. Whatever you do, don't trip when you get on the stage.

"Zachary Blaine Anderson."

Kurt broke into a smile despite himself. His handsome boyfriend walked across the stage to accept his diploma, shook hands with the headmaster, and turned to smile long enough for a flash to go off in the audience. Someone catcalled, and Kurt stifled a giggle, glancing over his shoulder to see Blaine's sister Francey stand up and whistle loudly.

He waited his turn patiently to walk across the stage, his heart starting to skip in his chest. This was it. High school was almost over. He was graduating. He was almost an adult.

Then why did he want so badly to just run home?

"Kurt Elijah Hummel."

Without conscious thought, he walked up the steps to the stage. The headmaster shook his hand with a kind smile, offering a warm congratulations as he handed over the smooth leatherbound diploma. Kurt shook his hand back and turned to face the sea of faces.

Almost instantly he picked out his family in the crowd. His father grinned so broadly it looked like his face would split in two. His stepmother beamed, bouncing baby Emily on her hip and making the little girl wave. Finn gave a cheerful, proud thumbs up.

Kurt quickly scanned the front row of graduates. Blaine winked at him, hazel eyes dancing in the sunlight. Kurt smiled back at him, and hastily made his way off the stage as the next graduate was announced.

He sat back down in his seat to wait for them to work through the rest of the alphabet, idly tapping the toes of his new glossy boots (a graduation present to himself) on the soft grass. His fingers toyed idly with the edges of his diploma, like a child with a new plaything.

"Theodore Archibald MacGregor."

Kurt looked up and smiled as his roommate walked across to get his hard-earned diploma and his gold honors tassel. It was a shame that he didn't have any family there to cheer him on, but some things couldn't be helped. At least Theo was going to come stay with Kurt's family for a week or two before he had to go. Across the lawn, he could hear them cheering loudly for his friend, offering some of the support he ought to have had.

Kurt took a deep breath and watched the sunshine play across the shining surface of his leather-cased diploma. The late spring breeze brushed against his bare neck, soft and soothing with a promise of summer, and, suddenly, he wished he weren't graduating. Suddenly, he wanted the three-month siren song of a carefree summer, sleeping in late and eating watermelon in the backyard and spending afternoons in the back of a musty community theater while he anticipated the reliable novelty of a new school year in the fall.

His seatmate nudged him again and Kurt stood with a start. Graduation was nearly over; the elderly speaker was offering a closing prayer. Kurt fidgeted anxiously.

"It is now my honor to present the Dalton Academy for Boys graduating class of 2012."

The aforementioned graduating class promptly let out a victorious collective whoop of joy, tossing their mortarboards in the air. Kurt joined in, laughing and ducking as they crashed back down around him.

The students dispersed, blending into the crowd as they found their friends and families. Kurt dodged past the others, his diploma clutched in his hands. "Dad!" he called. "Dad!"

His father grabbed him in a huge hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. "You did it, kiddo," he said. Kurt buried his face in his dad's shoulder for a brief moment. "God, kid, you did good."

"Hey, now we're both graduated," Finn teased, punching Kurt's shoulder lightly.

Carole shifted Emily to her other hip, jostling the toddler. "Let me see your diploma, honey," she said. Kurt flipped it open proudly for her to examine it. "Oh, it's beautiful." She kissed Kurt's cheek. "I'm so proud."

"KK! KK!" Emily chirped, reaching out to grab hold of Kurt's sleeve. He laughed and picked her up, blowing an affectionate raspberry on her round cheek.

A pair of sturdy arms snaked around Kurt from behind and hugged him in close. "Hey, I want a kiss too," Blaine said, smiling.

"Fine, I suppose," Kurt laughed. He handed Emily over to Finn, who perched their baby sister on his broad shoulders, and leaned in for a sweet quick peck.

"Congratulations, Blaine," Carole said, squeezing Blaine's arm.

"Thanks," he said. "I'm so excited. I cannot wait for college!"

"Yes, well, we still have all summer," Kurt reminded him. He tugged on the collar of his graduation robe. "God, these things don't breathe at all, do they?"

Blaine smiled and wrapped an arm around Kurt's waist, pressing a kiss to his temple. "You still look amazing," he reassured him.

"It's just such a waste of a perfectly nice suit," Kurt fretted, plucking at his sleeves. Blaine laughed; Finn cracked some kind of joke about Kurt and his tie collection. Kurt tried to smile, but it felt hollow. He stepped closer to Blaine, breathing in the comforting scent of his cologne and hoping that the stupid unsettled feeling in his stomach would go away.

* * *

><p>They made their way back home in a joyful caravan of cars, all of which seemed to be streaming cheerful music through windows opened wide to welcome the warm spring air. Kurt and Carole had done most of the decorating the day before, stringing crepe paper and balloons in both Dalton and McKinley colors. Burt had brought home a cake that was split half-and-half between the two schools' colors, and which cheerfully proclaimed that both boys were now high school graduates.<p>

By the time they arrived back at the house, people were starting to arrive. Kurt played the dutiful host as best he could, kissing various aunts and accepting congratulatory hugs from all comers. Someone slapped a colorful party hat on his head, and Finn shook his head warningly from across the room when Kurt went to remove it. He sighed a little, but decided he could suffer one more indignity in the name of high school norms.

The party was more of an open house than a set event, and people filtered in and out throughout the afternoon. Kurt was thrilled when almost all of his friends from McKinley's Glee club were able to make it, having attended their own graduation parties nearly a week earlier. They smothered him in hugs and gifts, and Kurt was momentarily lifted from his preoccupations with the future by the realization that, in the end, they still saw him as one of them, even after two and a half years at a rival school.

Carole had set up an inconspicuous table in the corner near the door for people to leave their cards and gifts for both boys, and a sizable pile soon grew. Rory had sought Kurt out at one point, leaning in to ask quietly in his thick accent whether it really was customary to give livestock as graduation gifts. Kurt just shook his head, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, good," Rory sighed. "Santana said it was the tradition here in America, but when I called my mummy, she couldn't have a goat sent over in time." He grinned broadly and wandered away, and Kurt was relieved to see him leave two normal-sized cards on the table.

With Carole and Burt's supervision of the party plans, there was a very careful lack of alcohol. The party still grew louder as the afternoon wore on, and the music gradually inched louder.  
>In the early evening, a small wave of latecomers arrived. As Kurt made his way through the crowd to greet people by the door, he was nearly knocked off his feet by a red-headed blur of enthusiastic energy.<p>

"Hi, Lucy," Kurt grunted, trying to get his breath back as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Kurt!" She said joyfully, squeezing him tight. He returned the embrace gladly. "I'm so happy for you! I'm not surprised, of course, but I'm just so thrilled."

"Thanks, Lu," he said warmly, surprised by the roughness in his throat. For as many times as he'd heard the same sentiments already, few of them had made such an impact on him. Lucy had been a particular friend of his for more than two years, and their relationship had grown closer over time.

"Punch," she said firmly after a moment, pulling away. "Tell me you and Carole made punch, please – your recipe is to die for!"

"Knowing you were coming, we made twice as much," Kurt said wryly. He jerked his head toward the refreshment table, and Lucy gave his arm a quick squeeze that promised her return, and headed for the drinks.  
>"She's always so perky," Finn said thoughtfully. Kurt turned to see his step-brother leaning<br>against the wall behind him, looking a little melancholy. "Where's David today? I never see her without him."

Kurt winced, and turned to look behind him to make sure Lucy hadn't come back yet. "I guess you hadn't heard. Lucy and David broke up right after prom. He's headed to UCLA to study law, and she knew they wouldn't be able to make it work." He swallowed hard, dropping his gaze, not willing to let Finn see his face. "They're still friends, of course – really good friends. There was just no point in pretending they'd be able to make the long distance thing work."

Finn looked over toward the refreshment table, where Lucy could be seen talking to Carole, her laugh floating back through the air as bright as her hair. "Oh," he said thoughtfully. "I wish it had been that easy with me and Rachel. I don't think we'll ever even be able to be in the same room again."

"Yours was a pretty ugly breakup," Kurt said a little sullenly. He looked into his empty cup, frowning down at it as if it could be blamed for his rapidly souring mood. "I need to go," he said suddenly, and Finn just nodded absently, clearly not paying attention.

Kurt wandered away, looking for a quiet corner of the house where he could take a minute to breathe, to try to get himself back under control. His conversation with Finn had stirred up a lot of things he didn't really want to be thinking about, and the vague uncertainty from the graduation ceremony was welling up again. He walked through the hallways of his home, scarcely able to think about the fact that he might not be seeing them for much longer.

Turning the corner at the top of the stairs, Kurt wandered into his bedroom, and wasn't entirely surprised to see it was already occupied. Theo was perched on the end of the bed, elbows balanced on his knees, looking down at his hands. Kurt made his way to the low seat in front of the vanity and sat down, not breaking the silence.

They sat together for a few minutes, needing the quiet. Theo broke the silence with a wry chuckle.

"Some party animals we are, hey?" Kurt huffed a quiet laugh in response.

"So what're you doing, off here in the corner?" he asked, trying to ignore his own melancholy. "I'd have thought Carole would be doting on you."

"Just needed to think for a bit," Theo said quietly, letting himself fall back across the foot of Kurt's bed. "I was just wishing Lisbet could have been here."

Kurt nodded solemnly. Lisbet should have been there, for Theo at the least. Kurt had his own family to support him, but Lisbet was the closest thing to family his roommate had left. Even though Lisbet had told them apologetically that there was no way she could make it there for the ceremony, he had held onto a small shred of hope that somehow, as she always did, Lisbet would have found a way to be there in time.

"Next week," he said quietly. "And then we'll have time."

"I know," Theo said a trifle snappishly, taking Kurt aback. "Time is very slow for those who wait." He sighed, running a hand through his messy blond hair. "Let's go enjoy your party, Kurt." He hauled himself to his feet, and offered a hand, which Kurt took after a tiny moment of hesitation.

They went back to the party together, pulling on smiles fit for company as they re-entered the noise and chaos of the celebration, and Kurt tried to stifle the unhappy bubble of worry that insisted on making its way into his throat. It was his party, after all, even if it was short a goat, and he was going to enjoy himself. 

* * *

><p>Kurt rested his chin in his hands, watching the party blaze on in his backyard. His stepmother had really done a lovely job decorating- white paper lanterns hanging in the trees, red and navy and white streamers draped across the cedar fence, clear balloons bobbing the evening breeze. He rested his elbows on his knees and sighed, surveying the cheerful scene.<p>

"Well, that sounded thoughtful."

He glanced up and smiled to see Blaine leaning on the porch railing. "Hi," he said.

Blaine sat down on the step above him and kissed him softly. "So what are you thoughtful about?" he asked.

"I don't know," Kurt sighed, leaning against Blaine's knees. Blaine wrapped an arm around him. "It all just seems so…surreal, I guess."

Blaine nuzzled the top of his head. "You're too young for an existential crisis," he teased lightly.

"No, but think about it," Kurt protested. "We've spent thirteen years of our lives in the educational system. Now…we're technically adults."

"You're not going to be eighteen till the end of the month," Blaine said fondly.

"You know what I mean," Kurt said. He surveyed the party, his mouth tugging down in glum lines. "The whole world is open to us now, Blaine. But I don't know what I want to do, or where I want to go from here."

"I thought you did," Blaine said. "You were making plans for NYU the second you got your acceptance letter. And you've wanted to be on Broadway since you were a kid."

"I know, but…" Kurt's voice trailed off. "Dreaming about it and actually doing it are two totally different things."

"You can do it," Blaine promised. "I know you can." He kissed the top of Kurt's head. "If anyone's going to make it out of here, it's going to be you."

Kurt twisted around to look at him better. "But what about you, Blaine?" he asked. "What are you going to do?"

Blaine shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure," he said. "You know I'm still trying to decide."

Kurt turned away, knotting his fingers together. "I wish you would just make your choice," he grumbled..

"Well, not all of us are lucky enough to know our destiny since infancy," Blaine said. He sighed. "You know how most kindergarteners pick what they want to be when they grow up? And they say things like 'fireman' or 'princess' or 'baseball player'? I wanted to be a lawyer like my dad. I spent my whole life thinking I wanted to be a lawyer. I remember when I got accepted to Dalton, my dad turned to me and said 'Dalton's a great place for a future lawyer, son.'" He shrugged helplessly. "I just don't know."

"If you want to study law, you can always study in New York," Kurt said.

"Yeah, but…my dad went to Stanford," Blaine said reluctantly. "He's had his heart set on sending me there for ages."

Kurt dropped his hands to his lap. "I just don't know what the big problem is!" he protested. "You've been accepted to NYU for musical theatre, and you've been accepted to both Columbia and Stanford for pre-law. Two of those options are in New York, Blaine, I don't know why you're having such a difficult time making a decision."

Blaine sat up. "It's more complicated than you think," he said stiffly. "I just want to make my parents happy. Especially since they're paying for my college education."

"It's not that complicated, Blaine," Kurt snapped. "I'm going to New York in the fall. Either you come with me, or you'll go to Stanford and we'll tell people we're in a long distance relationship, and we'll see each other breaks until you get an internship and I'm working in a show, and before long we'll grow apart and meet other people and…god, maybe Lucy had the right idea to break up with David."

Blaine sat very still. "What are you saying?" he said in a hushed voice. "Do you-"

"No," Kurt burst out desperately. "No, I don't want to, but…Blaine, I don't want us to grow apart."

"I don't either, but-"

"No, Blaine, don't you understand?" Kurt said, rising to his feet. His knees were shaking. "Everything's changing, whether we like it or not. We're going off to college, our glee clubs are going to carry on without us until we're just a footnote in a yearbook, my parents have a new baby to raise, Finn gets to stay home, and I - I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

"Things don't have to change, Kurt," Blaine said. "I love you. You love me. Being at two different colleges isn't going to change that."

"How do we know that?" Kurt challenged. "It's not like we have a time machine or anything. We can't go to the future and see how things are going to turn out." Hearing his own words, he threw his head back and laughed bitterly. "Oh god. That's ironic, isn't it?"

"I don't see what's so funny," Blaine said through his teeth. "You're blowing this out of proportion, Kurt. This isn't a good reason for us to even consider breaking up. Stop being so childish."

"I'm the one being childish?" Kurt exclaimed. "You're the one considering a degree you don't want at a school you won't like just you can please Daddy."

"How do you know that I don't want it?" Blaine said, standing up slowly. "How do you know what I won't like? What right do you have-"

"Just forget it!" Kurt spat. "Just forget it. We can move on in your happy little world, where nothing bad's ever going to happen, just because you say so!"

"God, Kurt, I…" Blaine gritted his teeth. "I can't even talk to you when you're like this."

"When I'm like what?" Kurt demanded.

Blaine slid his hands in his back pockets. "You know what?" he said. "I think I'm going to go."

"Go?" Kurt said. "Go where? Stanford?"

"No," Blaine said. "Home." He walked back up to the back door. "We can talk about this later."

Kurt raked his hair back. "Fine, Blaine," he said. "Run away. Run away like you always do."

He regretted it the instant he said it. Blaine blanched, the color draining from his face. For a second he wanted to throw his arms around Blaine's neck and apologize, but he was proud. Too proud.

"Fine," Blaine said, jaw jutting out. "I'll leave. I'd hate to disappoint you."

You don't disappoint me! Kurt wanted to protest, but he just folded his arms across his chest.

Blaine hesitated for a moment, as if he was just waiting to be called back, but Kurt's mouth thinned to a grim line. "Sometimes I wonder how we managed to stay together this long," he said sharply. "Sometimes…I can't even remember why we got together in the first place."

The glass door behind them slid open. "Oh, that's where you two disappeared to," Lucy said cheerfully. She brushed off the skirt of her lace party dress. "Are you-"

"Blaine was just leaving," Kurt snapped, arms folded tightly around himself.

Blaine rolled his eyes and brushed past Lucy, who blinked at him, startled. "Sorry, Lu," he mumbled, slamming the glass door behind him as he disappeared into the house.

Kurt watched him leave. His heart had stopped beating.

Lucy looked from the door to Kurt and back to the door. "Kurt?" she ventured. "What happened?"

Kurt just shook his head, his arms hugged tight around himself, and he leaned back against the porch railing. Lucy stepped behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning over to press her warm cheek against the side of his neck.

He wanted to cry, but he couldn't. 

* * *

><p>Kurt found that packing up his dorm room for the last time was sobering. He had packed many times before – to go home for a break, or moving out over a summer – but it had never felt so final. He frowned at the thought and threw wadded-up sweaters none too gently in a cardboard box.<p>

"If we sweaters have offended…" Theo teased lightly, brushing by Kurt to place an armload of battered books carefully in the bottom of his suitcase.

"Somewhere in England, MacGregor, the Bard is rolling in his grave, and you are entirely to blame," Kurt said with a hint of acid. It made no sense to be jealous of Theo – but he was, just a tiny bit, and it came through in his tone. Theo raised a sandy eyebrow and collapsed to the ground in front of Kurt, folding his legs and resting his elbows on his knees.

"The Bard is taking no note of my poor excuse for wit," he said easily. "You, on the other hand, are, and I'd rather like to know why."

"It's nothing," Kurt muttered.

"It's something. I've known you long enough to tell the difference."

"It's stupid, then," Kurt burst out, flinging socks into the box with reckless abandon. "I'm lucky, I know. I'm going exactly where I want to go, I got a great scholarship, I have my family, and I just – I don't know." His manic burst of energy collapsed, and Kurt slumped over the edge of the box dramatically.

"And this is a problem because- what?" Theo mused aloud. "You don't actually want to go? You've changed your mind about your plans?"

"No, no," Kurt interrupted. "It's not that. I just can't seem to make up my mind. I want to go, but I also don't want to leave. I want to stay home and be with my family and never leave them again, and I also want to go everywhere and do everything. And try as I might, I can't seem to find a way to do all of that at once. And now Blaine's being ridiculous about college, and I can't even be sure about the one thing I thought was supposed to be sure in my life. "

"I understand," Theo started, and Kurt whirled on him, all the tight uncertainty in his chest leaping out in a rush.

"No, you don't! You don't get it at all! You're free to do whatever you want! You and Lisbet, off to wander the world, do whatever you want – and then you'll settle down somewhere and do an English degree and wind up buried in Shakespeare until you're bald. If that's what you want! You get to be and do whatever you want."

"And you don't?" Theo's head tipped inquisitively to the side, an unusual frown appearing.

"My dad's been saving up for my college fund since the day I was born," Kurt said tightly. "Finn's not going to college. Every time I'm home, it's all 'Kurt, you'll be such a great example to Emmy' and 'Kurt, we're so proud of you for doing what we couldn't.'"

"How annoying, having a family that's proud of you." For an instant, Kurt thought Theo looked hurt, but that disappeared as he turned away, reaching for a box he kept tucked under the edge of his bed. He held it tightly for a moment, then sighed, and flipped it open. "This is what I have left, Kurt. A few pictures of my parents, my dad's old pocketwatch, and my mom's rosary. It's all I've had since I was eight."

Kurt swallowed, looking away. He felt shame creeping up his cheeks in shades of crimson. A light touch on his arm pulled him back, and he was surprised to see Theo looking at him compassionately.

"I don't have the anchors that you do, Kurt," he said quietly. "So yes, I'm free to do a lot of things." He reached into the box and dug down into the farthest corner, pulling out a small, bright medallion. "But not just anything."

Kurt recognized the medallion. It was tiny and elegant, bearing only the engraved face of a noble-looking woman – Clio, the Muse of history. The medallion had a history of it's own – one with more than a little to do with Kurt's own emotional difficulties.

Two years earlier, Kurt and Theo had both been living normal lives before they found themselves abducted by an organization known as ClioNav. The mysterious company, founded in the twenty-sixth century, specialized in the observation and analysis of alternate timelines. Both of the boys had found themselves pressed into service as Observers for ClioNav, forced to see and do a wide range of tasks for their employers. Kurt had eventually broken free of their control and, in the process, gained himself a number of disconcertingly unique abilities. Theo's freedom had come at a different price – one which was represented by the bright metal disk in his hand.

"They promised you anything, didn't they?" Kurt said softly. "Any alteration to the timeline you wanted to make. You could have had your family back."

Theo met his gaze steadily, unblinking. "At a price I was unwilling to pay. It's nothing but a symbol now – there's no redeeming it after I broke away from them. But I can't seem to get rid of it."  
>The shine of the metal seemed to take on a slightly more sinister hue as Kurt looked at it. He could understand the appeal of keeping the token. It was a reminder, not just of what Theo could have had, but of what he had experienced. "It wasn't all bad, was it?" Kurt asked quietly, certain he knew the answer. Theo grinned.<p>

"Not all," he confirmed merrily. "I got Lisbet out of it all, didn't I? She's more family than I ever expected to have again. And we wouldn't have been much more than casual roommates if it weren't for this." He swung the medallion gently around on the end of the fragile silver chain. "It's my anchor, I guess," he admitted after a moment. "I keep it because it feels like the last link I have to my parents, and the first thing that brought me to where I am now."

They were quiet for a while, each lost in his own thoughts. Kurt methodically folded his clothes, packing them neatly away, while Theo stared down at Clio's profile thoughtfully.

"When I was very little," Kurt said after a while, "my mother used to tell me a story. I don't remember all the details, but she would tell it at night when I couldn't sleep for fear of what was outside the window or in my closet." Theo looked at him quizzically, but stayed quiet.

"It was about a man – not a strong man or a brave man, just an ordinary person. She said that he was doomed to walk all the ages of the world, looking for something he had no guarantee of finding, because he had made a promise. He saw great things and terrible things, all the best and the worst in the world, and he grew very tired. But he couldn't stop."

Theo gave a little shiver at the intensity in the story, and Kurt laughed a bit. "It's just something that stayed with me. It's unsettling, I suppose, but the way she talked about him almost made it sound comforting. That there's someone out there, always, just walking on, the way we all have to."

Theo sighed, clenching his hand tightly around the medallion. "I suppose it puts things in perspective," he said softly. He hesitated a moment, then thrust his hand toward Kurt. "Will you take it for me?"

Kurt hesitated. "Theo…"

"Not to do anything with it," Theo babbled. "I just can't get rid of it, not entirely. I can't just throw it away. But if I'm going to move on, I can't carry this everywhere with me."

Kurt reached across the space between them and gently picked up the warm little medallion. "I'll keep it safe." 

* * *

><p>Kurt rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the blankets tighter around his shoulders, and exhaled heavily into his pillow. He hadn't been able to sleep that night, no matter how he tried.<p>

A soft snore echoed across the room and Kurt glared blearily towards it. Theo slept peacefully on his back on the makeshift bed they'd propped up for him, hands folded over his stomach and his blond hair ruffled. Of course Theo wasn't having trouble sleeping. Theo didn't have anything to worry about, except for wondering when his guardian was going to eventually wander in and whisk him away.

Kurt rolled onto his side, curling his knees into his chest. A pang shot through his heart as he looked over at his nightstand. His phone rested beside his lamp, and he knew better than to check it. There weren't going to be any missed calls or texts.

He and Blaine hadn't talked in three days.

He knew it was stupid. They were just being stubborn and prideful, both of them. He really should give in and text him or something. He missed Blaine. He missed hearing his voice, making him laugh, feelings his strong fingers laced through his.

But he didn't want to give in first.

He rolled over onto his back against, staring blankly at the ceiling. Theo snored again. Kurt rolled his eyes and untangled himself out of his covers. If he wasn't going to get any sleep, he might as well get up.

He closed the door to his room quietly and shuffled down the hall, his bare feet making no noise on the carpeted floor. Finn's door was still cracked; he could see his stepbrother starfished across his bed, his blankets heaped on the floor and his pillow under his elbow. Kurt made his way down to his baby sister's room and tapped the door open.

Emily was asleep in her white crib, her beloved pink blankie dangling between the bars. Kurt smiled and walked over to her. "Good morning, little princess," he cooed as he lowered the bars. She blinked at him. "Hi. Are you a little ray of sunshine today?"

Emily squinted up at him and yawned. Kurt smiled. At eighteen months, Emily was old enough to be verbal and mobile, but small enough to carry around and cuddle. "KK?" she said, opening and closing one tiny fist. "KK? Jammies?"

"Yes, Emmy, I'm still in my pajamas," he smiled. He reached into the crib and scooped her up; she nuzzled into his neck and rested her cheek on his shoulder. "Want to go downstairs and watch some cartoons?"

"Toons," Emily agreed sleepily. He smiled and carried her downstairs, patting her little back. "Juice?"

"You want some juice?" he asked, settling her on his hip as he headed into the kitchen. He stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. "What kind of juice?"

Emily frowed. "Owange," she said.

Kurt smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Orange it is," he said.

He poured the juice into a clean lavender sippy cup and snapped the lid on, then handed it to her. She sucked on it sleepily, her cheek still smooshed into his shoulder. He carried her into the living room, settled down on the couch with his legs stretched out, and plunked his baby sister on his knees. "Toons?" she said hopefully, snuggling on his lap. He switched the television on, smiling as she giggled in sleepy satisfaction.

He hugged his little sister to his chest as she gazed at the brightly colored cartoon. She was so small and warm and snuggly, and with a sudden pang he realized he was going to miss so much. Every time he would come home on a break from school, she would be a little bit bigger, a little bit older. She couldn't even properly say his name yet- what if she forgot about him while he was away?'

He nuzzled the top of her head and kissed her soft fine hair. "This cartoon is incredibly juvenile," he informed Emily. She frowned, taking a long swig from her sippy cup. "Pirates don't act like this. Pirates are much louder. There are a lot more obscenities. Also, they smell."

Emily patted her hand over his mouth. "Sh," she said. "Watchin'." He nibbled on her fingers, making her giggle.

Kurt leaned back against the arm of the couch, his arms wrapped around his little sister. He closed his eyes. He was so tired, but every time he tried to doze off, his mind began racing a mile a minute.

"What are you doing up at six in the morning?"

Kurt leaned back and opened his eyes. "Hi, Dad," he said.

Burt crossed his arms. "And you got your sister up too?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She was already awake," he said, lifting her up a little. "See how awake she is?" Emily yawned.

Burt grinned and sat down across from them in the armchair. He was already dressed for work, minus his shoes. "So what's eating you, kiddo?" he asked.

Kurt shrugged. "Nothing," he said, holding Emily in place as she squirmed across his knees.

"Kurt, I may be getting old-"

"You're not old," Kurt reassured him.

Burt rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid," he said. "Last summer it was like Blaine lived at our house. Now…he hasn't come over for dinner, you're not going out to meet him someplace…your phone isn't glued to your hand."

Kurt squirmed under his father's scrutiny. "We might be…in the middle of a fight," he admitted. "A teeny little one."

"A fight's a fight, kid," Burt said. "What's got you two so worked up?"

Kurt sighed. "We're just…not on the same page," he said. "He can't decide where he wants to go or what he wants to do, and I just…I don't know. We fought about it at the party the other night."

"I thought something was up," Burt said. He rubbed the back of his neck. "So he doesn't know what he wants to do, so what? You kids are young. You don't need to jump anything serious. You saw what happened to your brother and his girlfriend. They tried to get married too young, and now they can't even be in the same room anymore."

"We're not planning to get married any time soon," Kurt said. "It's just…" He breathed out slowly, ruffling his bangs; Emily frowned and patted her sippy cup against his cheek. "Can I be honest?" Burt nodded gravely. "I'm scared that if we have to be in a long-distance relationship, we're going to grow apart. And I don't know if I'm ready to go off to New York all alone. And…I don't know if I even want to go to New York at all."

Burt frowned. "Hold on, buddy, you don't know if you want to go to New York?" he said. "But you've wanted to go there since you were a baby. I remember, you were two and watching that Muppets in Manhattan movie, and all you wanted was-"

"I know," Kurt sighed. Emily yelped and bopped him in the face with her sippy cup. He gently guided her little hand down. "Emmy, don't hit Brother with your cup." He smoothed her hair down. "I just…I don't know I'm ready for all of this. Growing up, moving away…it all just feels so…so final."

"Nothing's final, kiddo," Burt said quietly. "You'll always have a place here, in this family. We're not gonna leave you."

"I know," Kurt said. "I just…I don't know. I don't know if I'm ready for all of this." Emily frowned and jabbed her sippy cup against his cheek. "I don't know what I'm getting myself into."

"Let me fill you in on a grown-up secret," Burt said. He reached over and squeezed Kurt's knee. "Nobody does."

Emily squished Kurt's cheek with her small palm. "Dwink, KK!" she insisted.

Kurt sighed and opened his mouth. Emily beamed and stuck the spout of her cup in his mouth. "Yes, honey, that's delicious," he said. "Thank you."

Soft footsteps padded down the stairs. "So that's where my baby girl went," Carole said, smiling at them. "Good morning."

"Morning," Kurt said. He held up Emily, making her blink in disgruntled surprise. "Would you like the little one?"

"Yes, I would," Carole cooed, picking her up. "Were you being good?" She kissed Emily on the cheek and set her on her hip. "I was thinking about making pancakes. Any takers?"

"I will," Burt said.

Kurt stretched out on the length of the couch. "I probably won't, but Finn and Theo will eat as many as you make," he said.

Burt got up from the chair. "I'll give you a hand, Carole," he said. He patted Kurt's shoulder. "And you think about giving Blaine a call, will you? I like that kid. You're good for each other."

Kurt sighed, switching off the television. "Maybe," he said.

* * *

><p>Despite the strained unhappiness Kurt felt from his unresolved argument with Blaine, the week following graduation passed relatively quickly. He tried to ignore his relationship woes by burying himself in his home and family life, playing with Emily, cooking with Carole, and enjoying his last truly free summer by spending time with his friends from McKinley. He spent time with Rachel when possible, even though she was not the most cheerful company in the world, and even tried playing video games with Finn once. It was a disaster, and he never repeated the mistake.<p>

Mostly, Kurt tried to enjoy the open freedom of the summer. He pushed thoughts of the fall and the upcoming changes in his life violently aside whenever they crossed his mind, and fell into summer with a passion.

And for the first week, he had good company. After two and a half years as roommates, it was surreal to think that in a few days he and Theo would be living very different lives. Theo said nothing, but Kurt suspected he felt the same way, judging by his eagerness to do things with Kurt that he usually found dull. Kurt found himself sitting through a four and a half hour long version of Hamlet without complaint, and Theo went with him to shop for a few new items for Kurt's summer wardrobe, and they both knew the end was coming.

One week after graduation, Kurt woke up suddenly and violently, as an awkwardly tall bundle of roommate crashed onto his mattress. He blinked, startled, and was displeased to be greeted with Theo's sun-bright grin at an un-neighborly proximity to his face.

"She's here!" Theo told him merrily, spinning off the bed to rummage through his messy pile of clean clothes in search of a new shirt. "Lisbet's here! Get up!"

"MacGregor, I'm about to murder you with your own copy of Macbeth," Kurt groaned, rolling over to bury his face in the pillow. "It's summer. I deserve at least another hour of rest. My skin routine demands a solid eight hours of sleep."

Theo laughed, bright and warm, and Kurt startled again as a bundle of clothes hit him in the small of the back. "You're fooling no-one, Hummel. Get dressed and come on, or you know she'll be in here to drag you out herself." Kurt sat up at that, blinking away sleep. Lisbet had woken him plenty of times before when they shared living quarters, and she didn't tend to go for the gentlest options when he was being sluggish.

In under two minutes, both boys were dressed and semi-presentable, and as they thundered down the stairs like particularly graceful elephants, Kurt couldn't stop the grin that was spreading over his face. Lisbet was back.

"Hello, Trouble!" Lisbet quirked a fond smile up at him as he paused on the bottom stair, and he took a moment to observe her. She looked much as she always did – long brown hair somewhat messily piled on her head, glasses perched high on the bridge of her nose, and an outfit that made Kurt shudder gently.

"I'd say you're a sight for sore eyes, but I'm afraid you're the cause," he told her seriously. "Will you never learn to take my advice on what not to wear?" She shook her head at him in mock dismay, and he felt his mask crack, giving way to a freer smile than he'd felt in days. He darted forward, and in a moment, was caught up in a tight embrace. Lisbet had a few more silver hairs than he had seen before, and was looking a little more tired, but the warmth of her arms and the kiss she pressed to the side of his head were unchanged.

He clung tight for a minute, and then backed away, conscious that Theo was waiting his own turn anxiously. Lisbet turned her smile on him, and then gave a little laugh. "Oh, my poor boy. Will you never learn the value of a haircut?"

"Very little practical value," Theo said quickly. "Really, Lisbet, I don't see the point," he began, and then was cut off as she swept him into a firm hug as well. He ducked his head, resting his forehead on her shoulder, and Kurt could see the tension in his shoulders ease. Lisbet planted a fond kiss on his forehead, and brushed uselessly at the shaggy hair that fell into his eyes.

"And when, " she asked sharply, "do either of you plan on stopping these ridiculous growth spurts? It's a shame when a woman has to stand on tiptoe to slap some sense into your heads." She demonstrated, reaching up to lay a gentle hand on each of their heads, and Kurt was startled to see that she did indeed have to stretch to reach. He hadn't exactly been tall when they had first met, but somehow, he had retained the impression that Lisbet towered above most mortals. Now, though, both he and Theo were significantly taller than Lisbet.

"No idea!" Kurt said cheerfully, ducking away from her hand and rearranging his hair. "Going by Dad's height, I'd say I don't have much farther to go."

"And you?" Lisbet demanded, ruffling Theo's hair. "Do you intend to place me in your shadow?"

"I don't know," he admitted, smiling sheepishly. "I don't really have any idea how tall my parents were, except that I always thought they were giants. But I was very small then." He pulled away from Lisbet, stepping back to look at her carefully, and then smiled gently. "It is good to see you."

"My idiot boys," Lisbet said fondly, a note of warm sadness in her voice. "I've missed you both so much. It's good to see you without anyone having to be rescued from an emergency!" They exchanged matching grins at that, and Kurt finally remembered his manners enough to usher them all through into the living room. Theo collapsed into a comfortable tangle of arms and legs in a corner of the couch, while Kurt quickly snagged his favorite overstuffed armchair. Lisbet crossed her arms and looked them over, perching on one arm of the couch. They were quiet for a moment, and then she nodded sharply at Kurt.

"OK, spill."

"What?" Kurt asked, genuinely startled. She rolled her eyes.

"Something's clearly bothering you, kid, and not just a little. Tell me who stole your frisbee, and I'll go beat them up to get it back for you."

"It's nothing," Kurt muttered, looking down at his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. Theo gave a tiny snort at that, and Kurt glared at his roommate from under his eyebrows. "OK, so it's something. It's just – I'm just being stupid."

"Rarely," Lisbet said flatly. "Very rarely, in fact. Tell me what's going on." And with those simple words, delivered in the tone she had used for years to coax information from him on all kinds of absurd situations, the floodgates opened. Kurt told her everything – about his worries about school and the future, about leaving home, about his future with Blaine. He hadn't told anyone else about their fight, but he couldn't stop the details from spilling forth, including every bitter word they had said.

When he finally finished, Kurt felt almost empty, purged of the uncertainty and unhappiness of the last week. Lisbet watched him for a moment, and then sighed deeply.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" she asked bluntly, and Kurt gaped at her, surprised by the question.

"You – that is, I-"

"Kurt, I can't solve this for you," she said gently. "I wish like hell I could. I'd do anything to keep you boys safe and happy, I really would – but this isn't my life, and these aren't decisions I can make for you."

"I know that," he muttered, feeling his face begin to burn. He hadn't meant to sound like a petulant child. Lisbet moved quickly, dropping to one knee in front of his chair, and grabbing his hands firmly.

"You can do anything you want," she said firmly. "Remember that, Kurt Hummel, or I will make you remember it. You are an extraordinary person, and every avenue is open to you at this moment. You just have to make your choice and then walk that path."

"I don't know what I want," he said miserably. "I've got a dozen great choices, and I can't decide between them."

"You could always come with us," Theo piped up quietly from his seat on the couch. Lisbet didn't even look at him, just nodded seriously. "I don't know what I'm doing either. I just want to see things, do things. No plans, no limits."

It sounded awfully tempting for a moment, and he let himself think about how much fun it would be, running around the world with Theo and Lisbet. But reality reasserted itself quickly, and he shook his head regretfully.

"That will only postpone things for me," he said wistfully. "And this thing with Blaine – well, running off into the wilderness for a year is the last thing we need. If we're going to make this relationship work, it can't be long-distance. It's New York or nothing, I'm afraid."

"As long as it's your choice," Lisbet said, squeezing his hand. "No-one else can make these decisions for you – not your parents, and not Blaine."

"It will be," Kurt assured her. Squeezing her hand back, he let it go and hauled himself to his feet. "Well. Ladies and gentlemen, if we've had quite enough of the Hummel Drama Hour, what do you say we do something a little more fun?"

"Oh, I'll say!" Lisbet said with a grin. "I believe I owe you boys a celebratory dinner, since I had to miss your graduation!" She sobered quickly, looking between the two of them. "I am sorry about that," she said in a low voice. "I wanted to be there, I really did, but something's going on, and I had to investigate. I'm afraid things might not be quite as quiet on the ClioNav front as we had hoped."

Kurt winced, trying hard not to let his mind wander, or to even consider what they might be up to. He shook his head sharply. "Can we leave that discussion until later?" he asked, a trifle plaintively.

"Oh please, yes," Theo echoed enthusiastically. He stood up as well, and came over to Lisbet, bowing theatrically over her hand. "Against my will, I am sent to bid you come in to dinner."

She shook her head, but laughed, the worry clearing from her eyes. "Theodore MacGregor, the day you start speaking in your own words is the day I give up coffee."

Kurt couldn't keep back a giggle at that idea, and she scowled at him, reaching out to flick his ear. "Quiet, you, or you'll be walking home from dinner." It was too late to save the somber mood, though, and in a moment they were all descending into laughter. Lisbet wrapped an arm around each of them, drawing them close. "My dear boys," she whispered, and Kurt felt warm inside.

* * *

><p>The trip to Cincinnati the next day had been planned for far too long for Kurt's emotional dilemma to derail it. It was a family outing, and had been Kurt's idea in the first place, so he didn't really feel he had the ability to back out, even if he'd rather be spending the day curled up on his couch with ice cream and sappy movies.<p>

It was Emily's first time visiting the Museum Center, and she burbled with excitement the whole way there. Kurt lost count of how many times he had to half climb out of his seat to pick up the sippy cup that she kept losing hold of, arms flailing joyfully. "Just hold onto it now, OK?" he asked tiredly after the millionth trip. She blinked at him, eyes wide with surprise, and he sighed and leaned over to kiss her cheek. "I'm not mad, Emmy," he assured her.

"Better not be," Burt rumbled cheerfully from the front seat, looking back at them in the rearview mirror. "The number of times I had to chase after something you chucked away, I figure you've got at least another year or two of fetching and carrying for her before you get to complain."

Finn gave a bark of laughter from the far back seat of the car, which he had hastily claimed for himself on account of having long legs which he needed to stretch. Kurt shot him a quick glare. "I'm sure you never did any such thing yourself," he grumbled sarcastically.

"Not much," Carole said thoughtfully, turning around to look over her shoulder at them. "I didn't think he'd ever be into sports, the way he hated moving around. Laziest lump of a baby you ever saw." She smiled fondly at Finn, who went pink and rapidly changed the subject.

Kurt sighed, tuning out the conversation as it moved into basketball or something equally intolerable, and turned to look out the window. The Cincinnati skyline quickly drew closer, and they had reached the Museum Center before the basketball conversation petered out.

Burt paid for parking and pulled into an open slot, and Kurt felt a little surge of relief as the doors opened. He loved his family, but there were times when he wished he had a little more personal space. And then, he mused darkly as he struggled to unfold Emily's stroller, there were times when he couldn't imagine being without them. Hence, his dilemma.

"Hopeless," Lisbet said dryly. Kurt started, and the stroller folded itself back up and collapsed sadly on his feet. She shook her head and grabbed the stroller, snapping it open neatly. Kurt looked pensively at the scratch the stroller had left on the leather of his boot. "What's going on in that head of yours? I doubt this little stroller is usually such a struggle for you." She asked the question quietly, but Kurt only shrugged. He had no intention of discussing his ongoing war of silence with Blaine.

Theo appeared from around the side of the van, carrying Emily in both arms and looking petrified. He stepped carefully, as if expecting the ground to open up and swallow him, and Kurt could tell that he was half expecting the baby to tip over or explode at any moment. Taking pity on both his friend and his sister, Kurt swept in and carefully transferred Emily to the stroller, buckling her in securely.

"For this relief, much thanks," Theo said in heartfelt tones. "That may be the most frightening thing I've ever done."

"You did fine, sweetie," Carole said warmly, one hand covering the smirk that was betrayed by the lines in her forehead. "It's good practice." Theo blanched, and Lisbet laughed.

"What, you don't plan on peopling the world any time soon?" Lisbet grabbed him around the shoulders and messed his hair. "I expect both you and Kurt to provide me with grandchild-like figures in the future, you know."

"Good lord, for alliance!" Theo said quickly, startled. He grinned back at Lisbet. "Thus goes everyone to the world but I, and I am sunburnt."

"Oh, dude, that sucks. Sunburn's the worst!" Finn said sympathetically. He finished unfolding himself from the van, shaking the stiffness from his limbs. "You don't look that burned, though." He eyed Theo critically, and the two stood for a long moment, staring at one another in mutual incomprehension.

"Finn, that's not what – Theo didn't mean-" Lisbet started, trying not to laugh, and then threw her hands up. "Oh lord. He's fine. Shall we go poke at informative things?"

They set off toward the main doors of the museum center, Kurt poking along at the back of the group. Somehow, everyone laughing and joking seemed to make his gloom worsen.  
>They paused to buy tickets, and Burt pulled out his wallet and started counting heads, and then paused.<p>

"Kurt, wasn't Blaine going to join us? Is he driving up on his own?"

Kurt winced, but kept his voice even. "Blaine couldn't make it today," he said calmly, although the words seemed to stick in his throat. "Something came up, and he couldn't decide between this and his other option." Lisbet shot him a piercing look, but Kurt just raised his chin, not caring if she was hearing the bitter meaning under his words.

"Oh, that's such a shame!" Carole said, sounding truly disappointed. "It's always so nice to spend time all together, and it's not like we'll have that many opportunities after the summer." Kurt clenched his teeth until his jaw ached, but he was able to pull on a stiff smile and keep his mouth closed.

By mutual agreement, they started in the natural history wing. They wandered through the interactive exhibits, letting Emily explore the things that were safe for her, but Kurt wasn't taking much in. He felt like he was looking past the exhibits, letting the conversation and laughter wash over him. In three months, he wouldn't be here. His family would probably continue doing all their usual activities, but there would be a spot where he simply wasn't. He wouldn't be there at meals, or in the car, or on family trips. He would be in the middle of New York City, living the life of his dreams, while everything that mattered to him was more than likely hundreds of miles away.

By the time they had reached the mezzanine level, Kurt was growing annoyed with his own mental processes, and tried to shrug off the gloom that had enveloped him. He wandered over to the archaeology exhibit, where Theo and Lisbet were both bent over the glass, examining the display and the text carefully. One look at their faces confirmed what Kurt had suspected – they were in heaven, heads nearly touching as they read the minute print together.

He looked around, unsurprised to see that Finn and his dad had wound up retreating to a quiet corner, where, if his dad's hand motions were anything to go by, they were discussing football plays in hushed tones. Carole and Emily had wandered further along, bored by the display of ancient coins, and were looking at an Egyptian mummy exhibit with interest. Emily was waving vigorously at the brightly painted sarcophagus.

Kurt decided to at least try to enjoy his visit, and pushed aside all thoughts of Blaine and anything outside the museum. He stepped up next to Lisbet and frowned down at the display.

"Could use a bit of polish," he said dryly, gesturing at the tarnished coins. Lisbet elbowed him in the ribs, but fondly. He stared down through the glass at the irregularly shaped gold and silver disks, and for a moment, had an unsettled feeling. "These coins," he murmured. "Are they important?"

"Not in and of themselves," she said thoughtfully, pushing her glasses up to examine the detailed engravings. "Numismatics can tell us a great deal about society and culture, though. Why?"

"Just a feeling," Kurt said vaguely. He looked at the sign to the left of the display, detailing the methods used to create and later interpret the coins, but he couldn't be bothered to read it.

"Look," Theo said solemnly, pointing at a darkened coin which had probably once been silver. "Look familiar?"

It did. Kurt's stomach turned a little as he recognized the profile on the coin. It was Clio – and very possibly the same exact design that ClioNav used on the medallions he had seen before. The archaeologists had apparently only found one copy of the coin, because it was displayed alone, with a photograph of the obverse side pinned to the velvet next to it. Kurt stepped back, unsettled by the little silver disk. Lisbet and Theo stayed still, staring down at the coin, and Theo dropped his head to her shoulder, looking weary.

Kurt's cell phone buzzed silently in his pocket, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He fumbled as he scrambled to reach it, looking at the screen in delight before his memory kicked in. Blaine wasn't texting him - it was an automated message from Facebook, telling him he had been tagged in a photo. Kurt shoved the phone back in his pocket, irrationally angry, and stalked away from the coin display. Emmy and the mummy would be better company for now.

A hand snagged onto the sleeve of his jacket. "Ah-ah-ah, where are you going?" Lisbet inquired, arcing an eyebrow.

"Nowhere," he sulked, pulling his arm away from her grasp. "Everything's fine."

"I don't deal in absolutes," Lisbet said firmly. "Don't tell me nothing's wrong. You've been moping since I got here, and I thought you were going to murder your little sister's stroller." She tugged him over to a bench on the side, by a glass case filled with pottery shards. "Either there's a vendetta against baby transportation devices that I don't know about, or you need to talk."

Kurt sighed. "Blaine hasn't texted me," he said. "We haven't talked in a week."

Lisbet lifted her glasses to rub at the bridge of her nose. "Boys," she muttered under her breath. She fixed her glasses. "Why are you whining about it?"

"I'm not whining," Kurt whined.

Lisbet rolled her eyes. "Your thumbs aren't broken, correct?" she said. "He hasn't moved mysteriously without a forwarding address. You are still quite capable of speaking."

"Yes," Kurt said slowly.

"Then you are perfectly capable of texting him yourself," Lisbet said. "Or popping by his house. Or giving him a call. Or sending him a carrier pigeon. Something."

"It's the principle of the thing," Kurt snapped. "He was the one who stormed off. He's the one who should come back to me first."

Lisbet leaned back against the wall, arms folded. "You've been complaining to me about your fight with Blaine since I got here," she said. "It's quite clear that you're both stubborn and both quite proud. Nothing will happen until one of you gives in, and as long as you're both waiting for the other to give in, then you'll both continue to be quite miserable. And you'll keep making everyone around you miserable."

"I like being miserable," Kurt sulked.

"Well, I don't," Theo said, leaning above them. "And you're not the only person with Blaine's phone number, you know."

Kurt sat up. "You didn't," he warned.

Theo dangled his phone in front of Kurt's face. "I've been known to send a text or two in my day," he teased.

Kurt lunged for Theo's phone and froze. His back pocket vibrated.

Lisbet gave him a condescending pat on his hip. "Go on, brat," she said.

Kurt scowled and pulled his phone out of his pocket, angling it away from prying eyes.

**From: Blaine**  
><em>Hey.<em>

Kurt frowned. That was all?

**From: Kurt**  
><em>Hey.<em>

Fine. He wasn't going to get anything more than that.

It buzzed again.

**From: Blaine**  
><em>I miss you.<em>

Kurt paused.

**From: Kurt**  
><em>I miss you too.<em>

**From: Blaine**  
><em>You know…this is really stupid.<em>

Kurt smiled to himself, all the misery of the past week already flying away.

**From: Kurt**  
><em>It is.<em>

**From: Blaine**  
><em>Want to talk about it?<em>

**From: Kurt**  
><em>Maybe over dinner, Friday night?<em>

**From: Blaine**  
><em>Mirko at seven?<em>

**From: Kurt**  
><em>That sounds wonderful.<em>

"Ah, I see our work here is done," Theo teased.

"He's got that dopey, besotted expression back," Lisbet agreed.

"I will not be sworn but love may transform me to an oyster," Theo said, nodding sagely and stifling a superior grin. "But I'll take my oath on it: till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such a fool."

"All right, so you are going to stop quoting things," Lisbet said, rolling her eyes. She grabbed Theo's arm and stood up, wrapping an arm around Kurt's waist. "And you are going to come with us so we can properly enjoy the new Pompeii exhibit. Put that phone away. Stop texting. Stop it."

Kurt grinned foolishly and tuned her out, tapping out an enthusiastic message to Blaine.

"We've created a monster," Theo said. "At least it's better than the moping, right?" 

* * *

><p>Friday was rather strange. It felt like waiting for a storm that was on the horizon, as if time was proceeding slowly, dragging him onward at half speed.<p>

It wasn't just the promise of dinner with Blaine in the evening, and the hope of sorting things out, that made the day slow. Kurt also knew that he was going to have to say some difficult goodbyes, and his brain seemed to be doing everything possible to put them off. Theo and Lisbet were leaving the next morning.

He had asked multiple times where they were going, and usually the two just shared one of their strange little shrugs, as if it didn't matter that they didn't have a plan. The idea set his teeth on edge just a bit. Kurt believed in plans.

His plan for the day was to do a bit of shopping and avoid thinking about that evening. Lisbet had dragged Theo out into the world to get his vision checked and his inoculations updated in case they ended up somewhere pestilent – "Mom Things," as Theo had explained with a sheepish look and a little grin.

Kurt had planned to do some shopping, sulk a little in private, and maybe indulge in ice cream when he knew no-one would see him – an excellent plan, until it had been ruined by a cheery redhead. Lucy didn't even bother calling ahead – just showed up on his doorstop and linked arms with him, pulling him out into the sunshine while talking at a cheerful hundred miles an hour.  
>It took a while to get any straight answers from her, but Lucy finally admitted that she was having a difficult day.<p>

"Today would have been our anniversary – David's and mine," she said quietly as they sat on a grassy knoll, hot wind blowing their sun-warmed hair. "It's not that I regret breaking up with him. It was the right thing to do, for both of us, and the only way we were still going to be friends. It's just – lonely, you know?" Kurt thought back to his week without Blaine, and nodded fervently.

"So we fulfill age-old traditions," he said decisively and got up, reaching a hand down to pull Lucy to her feet. She laughed, and tucked her hair behind her ears.

"Which ones?"

"Post-breakup traditions. We go shopping, talk about how you're better off without him, and eat ice cream until we want to explode." He smiled down at her, and she grinned back, and reached up to kiss him on the cheek.

"Fine," she declared. "But only if we also get to celebrate pre-important-date traditions as well and buy you something new to wear and fret over what you're going to eat," she said with a giggle.

"Deal," Kurt said. They shook on it, and he felt lighter.

The afternoon passed pleasantly, and Kurt made several fantastic fashion discoveries in a consignment shop, so he was in a much happier mood by the time he had to face the things he had been dreading. Lucy rode along with him to the little sandwich shop where Theo and Lisbet were grabbing dinner, and squeezed his hand encouragingly as they walked in.

"Hello, brat," Lisbet called welcomingly from the corner table. Kurt waved at her, and made his way through the maze of tables and chairs, promising himself that he was going to keep control of himself through the whole conversation. Kurt and Lucy pulled up chairs and sat at the little table, and there was an awkward silence for a moment.

"We've decided," Theo said quietly, toying with his fries. "Where we're going, that is. If anyone still wants to know." He looked quickly from Kurt to Lucy, then dropped his eyes back to his plate.

"I've been asking for a week," Kurt said, rolling his eyes. "Of course I want to know. Where are you dragging my addlepated roommate, Lisbet?"

"North Carolina," she informed him. "A little town called Aydlett, where our very own Mr. MacGregor was once resident."

"There's a lighthouse there, overlooking the water, that I really wanted to show her," Theo said in a rush. "I used to spend so much time there, just watching the light on the sea. It was abandoned, and I wasn't meant to be there, but…" he trailed off, looking a little lost. Kurt felt the same. After two and a half years of friendship, Theo was about to leave. For once, Kurt didn't know what to say to his friend.

"That sounds lovely," Lucy said warmly, leaning across the table to pat Theo's hand gently. He didn't look up. "Don't rush it though, OK? You should be sure to enjoy your trip. I'm told that some people without six brothers find road trips quite relaxing!" She grinned.

Theo opened his mouth, closed it again, and then blurted "'Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast.'" Lucy blinked in confusion.

Lisbet shook her head, looking both amused and slightly annoyed. "English, dear," she told Theo sarcastically. "What he means is thanks for the kind wishes." Theo nodded quickly, the tips of his ears bright pink, and then stood and excused himself to get a refill from the soda fountain.

"North Carolina, huh?" Kurt asked, feeling a dull weight settle inside him. They were really leaving.

"Yes," Lisbet said, her eyes glittering dangerously. "I'm afraid there are some ex-foster parents in Aydlett I really need to speak to. And Theo likes his lighthouse."

"When will you be back?" Kurt asked, and then cursed himself for sounding so plaintive.

"Kid, when have I ever known where I'm going?" Lisbet asked softly. She looked at Kurt for a long minute, and then sighed. "We will be back. We'll be in touch in the meantime. Theo and I will be coming to New York to see your place once you've moved in, and I've already told your folks to consider you booked for spring break." She reached across the table to touch his cheek gently, her expression softening into one of regret. "You're going to be amazing, Kurt, in New York or wherever you chose to be. I look at you here, and I cannot believe how tall and strong you've grown."

"Not my fault I met you before my growth spurt," Kurt said with a little laugh that almost sounded like a sob.

"No," she said, a little wistful. "But I've gotten to see you grow up. You're not the same kid I met that first day, and sometimes I'm not sure whether to be proud or sad about that." Her hand went to his hair for a moment, fond and amused. "I miss the old hair, though."

"Then you shouldn't have butchered it!" Kurt snickered. It truly had been a terrible haircut that she had given him.

"Well, there's that," she conceded. Theo wandered back, retaking his seat, and Lisbet sat back, crossing her arms meaningfully. "So. This is it for a while," she said firmly. "Kurt, do not get into any trouble. I mean it! No Controllers, no Boundaries, no reality-hopping. Lucy, I shall look to you to keep him in line this summer." Lucy nodded enthusiastically, and Kurt was suddenly struck by a bit of doubt about her reasons for accompanying him all day.

He steeled himself, getting ready to stand and leave. He didn't want to. Kurt had the strange feeling for just a moment that if he stayed there, they could just remain in that moment, safe and happy and secure. But Blaine was going to be waiting for him, ready to patch up their differences, and Lucy needed a ride home, and the responsibilities of the outside world pulled him along like a strong current. Kurt stood.

And then they were somewhere else. It was white and empty, and Kurt nearly fell over as his balance readjusted to the change.

"Welcome," a cool voice said, and Kurt spun around so quickly he nearly fell over. His brain was refusing to cooperate, frantically screaming at him that everything was entirely wrong. 

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

****Ahhhhh, this was supposed to be up yesterday and my computer decided to die! But it's fixed! And so...here it is!

Meg (that's Kivrin) and Cedes and I are hard at work on constructing this project! We have the most beautiful outline ever, and Cedes has FANTASTIC illustrations, and this story...oh lordy, this story is so much fun.

We're doing our best to write this story without it being necessary to read Kivrin's previous stories, "Course Corrections" and "Morning Shows the Day," but they're good reads anyway if you'd like to take a look. But feel free to ask us questions! We'd be happy to chat without you about the project! Or anything, for that matter!

We're all on Tumblr, and that's going to be the best place to look at all the gorgeous art for this story- there's actually a series of promo posters and several illustrations for this chapter already posted. And ClioNav has a Tumblr as well...you're going to learn more about them in the next chapter.

And now I shall answer some reviews. Thank you so much for reviewing, everybody!

**darrenfreakingcriss: **I actually have never seen Fringe! Should I check it out?

**bookster1: **I hope you liked the new chapter!

**sister momo: **Sorry you had to wait so long!

**: **THEY HAVE OFFICIALLY ARRIVED. I HOPE YOU'RE WEARING SILVER.

**KimuAkiyo: **YOUR RESPONSE IS APPROPRIATE!

**IvySnowe: **YOUR RESPONSE IS APPROPRIATE AS WELL!

**BabelLeef: **I hope you're still excited!

**LindseyKober: **We're about to jump headfirst into the time travel! I hope you're ready! Can you guess where they're headed first?

**Shighola: **Yay! :D

**NessySchu: **Oh girl...this is just the tip of the iceberg!

**Scritch: **OMG I'M SUPER EXCITED TOO! Meg and I have been friends for a while, but this is our first time writing together, and we're just LOVING it. Our styles are super compatible, and we're both pretty laid back when it comes to writing. :)

My tumblr: redbullandcupcakebatter

Kivrin (Meg's) tumblr: kivrinengle

Cedes' tumblr: complexlysimplekiddo

The story and artwork tumblr: Threnody2012

ClioNav's tumblr (beware!)


	3. A Threnody for Security: Part I

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not us.

Written as a collaboration between Kivrin and Keitorin Asthore.

The Clio Nav Corporation has no involvement in this documentation.

* * *

><p>The room they were in was white and expansive, with high ceilings and lofty windows. The only color in view came from outside the windows, where Kurt instantly recognized the riotous swirl of colors as the more visible version of the Boundaries. His stomach dropped away, leaving him nauseous. He was back outside the world again, outside of time and space, and his tenuous control over the Boundary on Earth did him no good out here.<p>

The greeting had come from a tall, willowy woman whose dark hair was pulled back into a sleek, tight bun. She wore a long, sleek dress of shimmering white which covered everything but her hands and face. She was very beautiful, Kurt thought numbly, and very, very dangerous. She smiled at them, and for a moment, he wanted to do nothing more than hide behind Lisbet. The smile was unsettling, cold and calculating and more than a little triumphant.

"I cannot tell you how great an honor this is," the woman continued, walking briskly toward them. Her heels clattered loudly against the white tile floor. "To be in the same room with the three of you is something I have been waiting for a very long time."

Kurt looked around quickly, and saw his confusion reflected in the eyes of all of his companions. Lucy had her arms folded tightly, looking more than a little afraid, but her head was held high. Theo, in contrast, looked like he was about to be sick. His eyes were wide, and he was breathing heavily, darting glances around the room like a cornered animal. Lisbet was quietly furious, and Kurt felt a jolt of reassurance as he caught her eyes and saw that she was about ready to explode.

"The three of us?" Lisbet asked quietly, dangerously. She narrowed her eyes at the woman, who merely smiled more widely.

"Hummel, MacGregor, and Hamilton. I've been reading about you since I was a child. To actually meet you is far beyond what I had expected."

"You're not that young," Lisbet said sharply. "How would you have known about us?"

"You're history." A second figure, all in black, joined the woman. This one was a man, tall and handsome, with a smile that was all kindness. Lucy stepped back involuntarily as he appeared, bumping into Kurt, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders for his own sake as much as hers. "Your actions, both for and against ClioNav, have been in the history books for almost a century."

Kurt looked at Lisbet again, startled. Of course, it made sense that more time could have passed for ClioNav than they had experienced. The corporation was more than capable of picking them up at any time – but if they'd waited a century to come after them, there had to be a reason for the delay. Kurt wasn't certain he wanted to know.

"And me?" Lucy spoke up, her voice unnaturally loud with nerves in the quiet room. "Why am I here? You don't know me."

"On the contrary, my dear," the woman said smoothly. "We have quite an extensive file on you. Rest assured, Miss Trevelyan, you are here for a purpose."

"And where is here?" Kurt asked, putting all the venom he could manage into the question.

"Central." It wasn't one of the strangers who answered, but rather Theo. Kurt glanced over at his friend again. Theo was pale, his hands twisted into fists at his side. "This is Central. It's like a much larger version of the Observation stations."

"That's right!" The man said cheerfully, as if Theo had answered an arithmetic problem correctly. "Of course, you did spend quite some time here. It's natural that you would remember." Theo's eyes darted around the room, pausing on a specific door on the far side, and he swallowed convulsively. The man laughed.

"That's enough." Lisbet didn't shout. She didn't need to. Every eye turned to her, and she stepped forward, partially blocking the others behind her. "I think it's time for some introductions, don't you? Policy used to dictate introducing oneself before any substantial conversation, unless a great deal has changed since my day."

The woman held Lisbet's gaze for a long moment, and then nodded. "Correct. I am Controller Atropos. My colleague is Controller Brook. We have been assigned to your particular case, and will be monitoring and controlling your experiences."

"No," Kurt said firmly. "If you've been reading about us so long, you already know we won't cooperate. It doesn't matter what you do to us. We are not going to help you in any way."

"Well, that's exactly the problem, isn't it?" Brook asked conversationally. "Our predecessors had great difficulty in controlling you people, and it's taken us a very long time to figure out how to deal with you." He threw a hand up in front of him, and suddenly, Kurt was immobile. He couldn't so much as blink, and breathing was exceptionally difficult. "So we decided not to give you a choice."

The Controllers advanced on the little group, and Atropos reached Kurt first, disappearing around behind him. A moment later, a searing pain came from a pinpoint spot on the back of his skull, and he would have cried out if he could. Less than a minute later, the Controllers sauntered back to their original positions, and Brook threw up his hand again, releasing the field that had held them in place.

"What did you do?" Lucy shouted, starting forward. Kurt held onto her shoulder, keeping her close, and she put a hand to the back of her head, pushing her red hair frantically aside to feel the spot. "Did you put something in our heads?"

"Yes," Atropos said calmly. "We have installed mobile field units in your brains. These units will allow us to remain in constant surveillance of your activities, translocate you physically and chronologically, and also provide you with a few fringe benefits Observers have found very useful in the past." She smirked at their expressions. "Our technology has come a ways in the last century."

Brook picked up a handheld tablet in one hand, and Kurt vaguely recognized it as being similar to the kinds he and Lisbet had used before. It was thinner and smaller than the ones he had seen before, and he was certain it probably had more features than their versions had.

"Now, let's see," Brook said cheerily, flicking rapidly through pages of information. "I believe we're about ready to begin. Paperwork is in order, your personnel files are updated to your last significant instances, and I've just verified that all four of your mobile field units are operational and transmitting data."

"Begin what?" Lisbet snapped. "We've already told you we're not going to cooperate. You cannot force us to do Observations, make Interventions, or supervise others." She stepped closer to Theo, who hadn't moved since they'd been immobilized, and pressed her arm against his in silent support. He took a deep, stuttering breath, and blinked slowly. "And if you harm a hair on any of these children's heads, believe me when I say I will make you pay."

"Same old Hamilton," Brook said, sounding delighted. He turned to Atropos excitedly. "Doesn't she sound just the same as in the recordings? This is amazing!"

"Yes," Atropos said drily. "Quite. Ms. Hamilton, I have no intention of standing here and explaining the methods and reasoning we have adopted for this mission. We are not asking for your cooperation, nor will you be given a choice in rendering it. Simply staying alive will provide us will everything we need."

Kurt frowned, feeling his forehead crease. Staying alive? With the exception of his daredevil moment of desperation, nothing he had ever done in ClioNav's employ had been anything like dangerous. His heart started beating faster.

"And so," Brooks said, with a sudden smile that didn't look nearly as warm anymore, "the journey begins." He brought his hand down on the console beside him suddenly, and they were no longer in Central. 

* * *

><p>"Kurt!" Finn bellowed. He leaned on the banister, craning his neck to look up the stairs. "Kurt! Dinner! We're waiting!" He paused. "And I'm starving!"<p>

Burt stuck his head out of the kitchen. "He's meeting Blaine for dinner, remember?" he said. "Stop shouting."

"Oh," Finn said. "Right. I forgot." He frowned. "What about Lisbet and Theo?"

"They're getting ready for their trip," Burt said. "You still gonna take 'em to the airport tomorrow?"

"Yeah," Finn said. "I kinda wanted to be there to say goodbye too. Theo was pretty awesome."

"You'd better get to bed right after dinner, then. Their flight's leaving at six," Burt reminded him. He glanced back in the kitchen. "Dinner's almost ready. You want to set the table or get your sister?"

"I'll get Emily," Finn said. Burt nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. "Emmy! You ready for dinner?"

The cherubic toddler was standing up in her playpen, chewing absentmindedly on her stuffed monkey's ear as she watched a cartoon. "No! No, Dowah!" she shouted at the screen. "No, Dowah! Map!" She threw the monkey at the screen, frowning in satisfaction as it bonked the animated character on the head and bounced to the floor. "Dumb Dowah."

"Don't say 'dumb'," Finn reminded her as he scooped her out of the playpen. "We say nice words, remember, Emily?"

She nodded. "Nice, nice," she affirmed.

He switched off the television and picked up her monkey. "Ready for dinner?" he said. He rubbed his thumb at a smear on her cheek. "Uh…let's get you cleaned up before Mom sees you."

"Yay!" Emily said, tugging in his shirt. "KK? KK?"

"KK's on a date," he said as he set her down on the bathroom counter and picked up a washcloth. "With Blaine."

Emily smiled. "Baine," she said. She waved her stuffed monkey. "Baine and KK here?"

"No, no," Finn said, swiping the wet washcloth across her face and making her grimace. "On a date, at a restaurant. And it's Blaine and Kurt. Can you say that? Blaine and Kurt?"

"Baine an' Kut," she said cheerfully.

"Kurt."

"Kut."

"Kurrrrrt."

"Kuhhhhhht."

Finn sighed. "You'll get it eventually," he said, setting her back on his hip. His mother worried about Emily's inability to properly pronounce half her letters, but Burt kept reassuring her that Kurt had been the same way as a child (repeated viewings of embarrassing home movies confirmed that) and he had turned out just fine. Kurt had been tremendously hurt, though, when his little sister said "mama" and "daddy" and "Finn" without any problem, but she couldn't manage more than his old nickname. Privately, Finn was jealous of Kurt- he wanted a cute nickname from his baby sister too. But at least she could say his name.

Finn carted Emily into the kitchen and plunked her down into her high chair. "Mom, what's for dinner?" he asked. "I'm starving."

"'Tawvin'," Emily agreed, banging her fists on her high chair tray as Finn buckled her in.

Carole nudged the oven door shut with her hip and set the hot casserole dish on the trivet. "Chicken pot pie," she said. "I wanted to do something that would be easy to reheat in case Lisbet and Theo wanted some when they came back." She peeled off her oven mitts, sighing. "And in case Kurt needed some comfort food after his date, depending on how that goes."

Burt sank into his usual chair. "I hope it goes okay," he said fervently. "God, I'm so tired of him moping. And if he and Blaine break up…" He sighed. "They had better not break up. That's all I'm saying."

"It's such a shame they're fighting, but I don't blame them," Carole said, pulling several glasses out of the cabinet. "Finn, honey, fill these, please?"

He reached into the fridge and pulled out the water pitcher. "Everybody's breaking up," he said. "Kurt's redheaded friend…Lily…"

"Lucy," Carole reminded him, fastening a bib around Emily's neck.

"Yeah, her," Finn said. "Lucy and her boyfriend, Sam and Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine, me and Rachel…"

"Okay, first of all, Kurt and Blaine haven't broken up," Burt reminded him. "And you and Rachel? You kids are as dumb as a bag of bricks."

"I really loved her," Finn protested.

"Honey, you loved Quinn before that," Carole reminded him as she took several clean plates from the dishwasher. "And Rachel before that. And then Quinn again." She set the plates down on the table. "You just always love what you can't have."

"It's not like that," Finn scoffed. "It's just-"

"And then you get so worked up that you do stupid stuff to keep them around," Burt pointed out. "Like…trying to get married."

"We really wanted to get married," Finn protested. He plopped down in his chair, lips pulled in a childish pout and legs splayed. "And what makes you guys experts on my love life?"

"We're married, kid," Burt reminded him, amused. "And before I was married to your mom, I was married to Kurt's mom. And trust me, Kurt takes after her." He leaned back in his chair, smiling to himself. "I remember when we first found out she was pregnant. She wanted to get married right off, and when I told her I wasn't sure about it, she got so pissed she didn't talk to me for a week. I'm telling you, Kurt's just like her. He'll come around. Mollie did."

"How'd you get her to talk to you again?" Finn asked, leaning forward.

"I proposed," Burt said dryly.

Finn frowned. "So why is it okay that you got married young but you think Rachel and I were stupid?" he said.

"Because I was twenty-two, with a full-time job, and she was already past her first trimester," Burt said. "You were seventeen with nothing to your name, not even a high school diploma." Finn grunted, sliding further into his chair.

"Sit up, honey," Carole said, patting Finn's shoulder. He obeyed; she set a full plate down in front of him. "I'm sure Kurt and Blaine are going to be just fine. They'll patch things up, and I'm sure that Blaine will spend the whole summer practically living in this house."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

THE PLOT THICKENS!

Have you guessed where our poor intrepid travelers are headed?

**AddiTood57: **You might want to track down from silver. :P

**soul rag siren: **Oops! Thanks for the help. :)

**Unfortunate Fates: **Meg has an absolutely brilliant plot line, especially for Theo, so I hope you're excited!

**KimuAkiyo: **WE'RE BETTER THAN THE DARREN CRISS SEX RIOT? WELL THEN. LIFE IS NOW COMPLTETE!

**poodlehair92: **I'm glad you're excited! I love putting Lucy anywhere, and Meg's OCs are brilliant. Plus, Francey's going to appear soon!

**lilybet29993: **um...you're going to get a lot of cliffhangers here...

**bookster1: **I'm so glad you're looking forward to it!

**BabelLeef: **DON'T WORRY I LOVE INCOHERENT REVIEWS!

**ImDefyingGravity13: **Hopefully you won't have to wait too long till the next post!

**kcbalfour: **AREN'T THE NEW CONTROLLERS TERRIFYING?

**NessySchu: **omg you always say the nicest things come here and let me love you.

**IvySnowe: **I'M GLAD I BLEW YOUR MIND! :d

**CelticPrincessFiona: **Thank you! I hope you stay excited!

**sistermomo: **We're doing our best to post frequently! Hopefully we can keep up with it.

**klinneah: **You are wise to keep your silver at hand.

**: **I'm glad it could please you!

My tumblr: redbullandcupcakebatter

Kivrin (Meg's) tumblr: kivrinengle

Cedes' tumblr: complexlysimplekiddo

The story and artwork tumblr: Threnody2012

ClioNav's tumblr (beware!)


	4. A Threnody for Security: Part II

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not us.

Written as a collaboration between Kivrin and Keitorin Asthore.

The Clio Nav Corporation has no involvement in this documentation.

* * *

><p>There was no sensation of landing, or arriving at all. One moment, they had been standing in the white room at Central. The next, they were in a narrow alley between two walls of dusty brick. The air was uncomfortably warm, and so full of dust and terrible smells that Kurt clasped his hands over his nose in self-defense.<p>

"What happened?" Lucy choked, covering her face the same way. She coughed against the lung full of dust she had inhaled.

"We've been sent on Observation," Lisbet said, cold and dangerous. Kurt looked over at her sharply.

"This is nothing like the Observations I've done before," he protested. "Look, we're still in our own clothes. These are OUR bodies, not those of alternate versions of ourselves."

Lucy put her hand up to her head again, and then pulled it away with a wince. "We still have the same implants in our heads that they just put there a minute ago," she observed. Her voice was shaky with nerves and fear, but despite the tremor in her hands, she stood tall.

"Right," Lisbet said absently. She walked to the mouth of the alleyway and looked out onto what sounded like a busy street. "This is how they used to conduct Observations, before the technology to ride along in the minds of alternates was perfected. Observations had to be done in person by in-place Observers who were equipped to blend into their historical environs and not cause disruptions in the timeline."

"You've done this before?" Kurt asked.

"Once or twice. By the time I was brought into the program, they had pretty much transitioned to the new method." For all that Kurt was shaken and frightened by their circumstances, the fact that Lisbet remained calm and certain was a lifeline. She shook her head in frustration as she looked out into the street. "I don't understand, though. We're not equipped to do an Observation here. We don't even know when and where we are, we don't have appropriate clothing or money, and we don't have set mission parameters. Are we supposed to create a divergence? Prevent one? Simply observe?"

"They said they just needed us to stay alive," Kurt said thoughtfully. He put his back against the rough brick wall, warm in the heat, and slid down to sit on the dusty ground. His fingers lingered in the dust at his sides, and he tried not to be overwhelmed. Focus on the facts, the ground beneath you, and the rest will fall into place.

"So we just – what? Hide here until they come get us again?" Lucy asked, uncertainty giving her words an unaccustomed edge. "We could be anywhere, anytime! What if they just leave us here forever?" That silenced everyone, and Lucy looked frightened by her own words. She sank down next to Kurt, clutching his arm with both of hers.

"By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down." Theo's murmur sounded like a prayer, reverent and thoughtful in the stillness. He had wandered to the far end of the alley, and was looking out. A breeze blew past his end of the street, ruffling his hair. "Yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion."

Lisbet started toward him slowly, her face a calm mask that did a poor job of hiding her dismay. "No, Theo, I need you to focus. Central was bad, I get that, but now is not the time for you to space out on us."

He shook his head, eyes distant. "We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof, for there they that carried us away captive required of us a song." He smiled distantly, as if hearing music far away. "And they that wasted us required of us mirth."

Lisbet reached him and touched his shoulder, turning him around to face her. She put a hand gently on his cheek and looked at him steadily. "Theodore. Answer me now. What are you saying?"

He blinked started blue eyes at her, once, twice. Kurt was starting to get scared. Had the implant the Controllers given them done something to injure his brain?

"Look," Theo said quietly, pointing out the end of the alley. "Babylon."

Kurt and Lucy scrambled to their feet and ran to join the others. As they reached the end of the alley, Kurt couldn't prevent a little gasp. They seemed to be at the top of a hill overlooking a vast city, mostly of the same mud-colored brick as the walls they were standing between. The buildings were low and simple for the most part, but here and there, a giant structure rose to tower majestically above the surrounding buildings.

"Is that a pyramid?" he asked in a hushed voice, pointing at the tallest building he could see.

"A ziggurat," Lisbet corrected absently, narrowing her eyes at the view. "Probably to Marduk, although possibly not. Depends on when we are."

The streets of the city were mostly narrow affairs, wandering through the buildings, but one major throughway was obvious from their position. The wide, spacious street seemed to lead to one of the other large structures, and Kurt wondered absently what it was for. He wished silently that he had spent more time studying in his history courses, because ancient Babylonian history was very much not his strong suit. Did they, Kurt wondered to himself, sacrifice humans? And if so, how did they feel about strangely dressed humans who appeared out of thin air and didn't speak Babylonian?

Theo and Lisbet seemed to have a better idea of the geography of the city, much to Kurt's relief. They were discussing various features of the city, arguing over which river it was that they could see cutting through the city, and debating the possible year. Kurt and Lucy exchanged several confused glances, and finally Lucy had had enough.

"Look, I don't mean to interrupt," she interrupted fiercely. "But do you mind? We're all stuck here together, you know, and Kurt and I don't have a clue what you're talking about."

The two blinked at her in synchronized surprise, and then Lisbet nodded, shoving at her glasses.

"Right, sorry. It's been a long time since I've done this. Come on." She drew them all together, and in a moment, they were sitting in a tight circle near the middle of the alley, well out of sight to anyone who didn't step down the alley directly. "I don't think we have time to give you the full lecture on survival, camouflage, and noninterference, so this will have to do. There are a few basic points you have to keep in mind."

She reached out with a finger and drew a steady number one in the dust in front of her. "First of all, you are not to draw attention to yourselves. Nothing is as important as staying under the radar. The Babylonians are nowhere near as bloodthirsty as many groups we could have encountered, but you do not want them to decide you're an enemy. We stay out of sight, keep quiet, and find a way to blend in." She looked around the circle sternly until everyone was nodding their understanding, then sketched a number two.

"Secondly, we have to establish our exact spatial and temporal location. We're pretty sure we're in Babylon-"

"We are in Babylon," Theo insisted. "Just because we can't see the Hanging Gardens-"

"Which probably don't exist, as the contemporary evidence for them is circumstantial at best-" Lisbet countered in a sing-song. Kurt rolled his eyes. "Yes, right. Babylon, then – but we don't know when. We need to know when we are if we've got a prayer of figuring out what we're supposed to do, and how we're going to survive."

"We need more than knowledge to survive," Kurt said thoughtfully. "Our clothes will be a dead giveaway. The first time anyone sees us, we'll be toast."

"We'll have to fix that," Lisbet mused, looking them over. "We can't make ourselves entirely historically accurate, but we'll have to do what we can. And that's the third point," she continued, adding a number three in the sand. "We cannot, under any circumstances, do anything that will affect the timeline. To the extent that that is possible," she added in a mutter.

"But that's what we do in Interventions!" Kurt protested. "Change things, make them better. Granted, it doesn't always work right, but that's half our job!"

"It's not our job anymore," Theo said solemnly, hands clenched in his lap. "We're not Observers. We're not working for them. All we're doing is trying to survive until we can figure out how to get home."

"Why do we have to be so careful?" Lucy asked, looking worried. "And won't anything we do have an effect?"

"It might," Lisbet told her quietly. "We'll have to minimize the risks as much as we can though. Think about it. What if we're not in an alternate timeline? What if we're in our own past? The Controllers may well be testing to see what happens if we meddle with our own past. Do we cease to exist? Does the timestream fall apart, or kill us as a preventative measure, or do the Boundaries of reality themselves dissolve?" They stared at her, horribly fascinated, and Lisbet shrugged. "These are all questions they want answered. They've got scientists studying the probabilities on these things constantly. I think we might be more of a lab experiment." She smiled wryly, but there wasn't much humor in it.

"So," Kurt said, after a long, awkward moment of silence. "Stay low, look the part, and don't change history. Anything else?"

"So much, kid," Lisbet said, sounding exhausted. "But for now, this is our plan going forward. We need to get appropriate clothes, before someone finds us and decides we're something inhuman." That, at least, was a solid plan, and Kurt grabbed onto it. Clothes, he could do. 

* * *

><p>Blaine drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he eyed the parking lot. The sun was just beginning to set, tingeing the sky vivid pink and orange and casting the first hints of evening shadows across the rows of cars. He couldn't see Kurt's familiar Lincoln Navigator, but that was okay. That was fine. He was early, after all. Kurt would probably be there at some point.<p>

He slid out of his jeep and locked the door behind him, dropping the keys in the pocket of his jacket. His heart skipped a beat merrily as he approached the doors and he willed himself to stay calm. It was just a date. No big deal.

No. It was a big deal.

He and Kurt didn't fight. They just didn't. They disagreed, of course, everyone does. But they had never had something like this before. Not a long, stretched out, aggravated silence.

He hated it.

He walked up to the hostess, who smiled at him. "How many?" she asked.

"Two," he said. "I'm expecting my date soon."

The waitress nodded. "Name?"

"Anderson."

She wrote it down on her list. "Mm-hm," she said. "It'll be about twenty minutes. Is that okay?"

"Sure, that's fine," he said.

He moved to the side to wait, rocking up on his toes as he slid his hands in his pockets. It was going to be okay. Kurt would be there soon. They would go on a nice date. They would talk. They would leave hand-in-hand, just as in love as ever.

Everything would be okay.**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>

**Author's Notes:**

OH MY LORD, BLAINE, STOP BREAKING MY HEART, THINGS ARE NOT OKAY.

And look! They're in Babylon! THINGS DO NOT BODE WELL.

Also, I need to go to work shortly (this chapter was supposed to be up last night but the document manager wasn't working) so I don't have time to answer every review, but oh my goodness, thank you all so much. We're absolutely loving this project, and we love that other people are loving it too! Thank you so much!

My tumblr: redbullandcupcakebatter

Kivrin (Meg's) tumblr: kivrinengle

Cedes' tumblr: complexlysimplekiddo

The story and artwork tumblr: Threnody2012

ClioNav's tumblr (beware!)


	5. A Threnody for Security: Part III

Disclaimer: Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy and Fox, not us.

Written as a collaboration between Kivrin and Keitorin Asthore.

The Clio Nav Corporation has no involvement in this documentation.

* * *

><p>Blaine drummed his fingers on the table, glancing around the busy restaurant. He kept glancing towards the door, hoping each time that he would see the familiar face of his handsome boyfriend. It wasn't like Kurt to be late, but maybe something had happened. And Kurt never let things slide. He would walk in, full of apologies, his nose scrunched in sweet sheepish embarrassment, and Blaine would hug him without a second thought.<p>

That is, he'd hug him if he ever showed up.

He scanned the restaurant again, hoping that he'd just…missed him or something. Maybe it was a misunderstanding. Maybe Kurt came in the back door or something, and got seated at his own table, and maybe right now, this very second, he was scanning the crowded restaurant looking for Blaine.

_Or maybe he just stood you up, _a tiny tortuous little voice said. _Maybe he's just passive-aggressively breaking up with you._

Blaine shifted in his seat, glancing around quickly as if everyone in the restaurant could read his thoughts. He pulled his phone out again and sent out another message.

_Hey, it's me. I'm not mad, but please call or something, okay? I'm worried._

And yes, he was worried, but he was also the faintest bit angry. Angry at Kurt for not bothering to show. Angry at Kurt for giving him the cold shoulder for a week. Angry at Kurt for picking a fight in the first place.

He fiddled with his fork, his mouth drawing down. His stomach twisted. All right, he was more than a little bit angry.

The waitress paused by his table and cleared her throat. "Honey, are you going to order anything, or are you just going to sit here all night and take up space?" she asked, clearly irritable.

He sat up, forcing himself to squelch the anger rising i his chest. "I'll go ahead and order an appetizer while I wait," he said sweetly. "Um…the mozzarella sticks, please? And a Sprite."

The waitress scribbled it down and walked away without another word. Blaine crumpled his straw wrapper and rolled it flat. It wouldn't hurt to get an appetizer. It would give him something to do besides think about Kurt.

Besides, Kurt hated mozzarella sticks, and the vindictive order choice made him feel just a little bit better.

But not really.

* * *

><p>"So, what are we supposed to be doing?" Kurt asked, wriggling uncomfortably. The rough weave of the tunic irritated his skin, and he swore it still smelled like the sheep who had produced the wool. "What's the intervention? Are we supposed to cause a change, or prevent one?"<p>

"No idea," Lisbet said, frowning. She removed her glasses, tucking them carefully into a fold of her tunic. Without them, she looked strangely vulnerable. Kurt's heart gave an uncomfortable thump, and he looked away. "We don't even know when we are with any precision. It would be premature to guess what they intend us to do."

Lucy glared at the rough fabric in her hands. "We could at least have taken some of the bright ones," she grumbled. "Bad enough that we have to cover ourselves in these smelly things. I could have gotten some of the nice ones easily." Her hands clenched tightly around the dusty tunic she held, and Kurt could see the slight tremble in her fingers that belied the calm image she tried to project.

"Nope," Lisbet said briskly. "We're so far from historically accurate already that it's not even amusing. Our hair, speech, demeanor, everything – we pretty clearly don't belong here. The last thing we need is bright colors and ornate designs which will draw attention." She gestured vaguely at the off-white tunics and headcoverings they had obtained. "These will help."

"I have been a stranger in a strange land," Theo murmured, draping a headcovering over his bright hair.

"You're strange, all right," Lisbet told him gently, twitching his tunic into place so that it covered his modern clothing more securely. "Lucy, Theo, you two absolutely have to keep your heads covered. Dark hair is pretty much universal here. Kurt, you and I are slightly better off, although the styles are all wrong. Don't make eye contact, don't speak to anyone."

"So," Kurt said thoughtfully, "I suppose we need to go back to basics. Establish spatial and temporal location on arrival, right?" He gave Lisbet a weak grin, remembering how she had drilled procedure into his head when he first became an Observer. "So we know we're in Babylon, and now we need to figure out _when_ we are."

"That's why we have to go out into the city," Lucy said with a clear flash of understanding, nodding. "We'll never figure it out just by staying here safely." She draped her headcovering carefully over her bright hair.

Lisbet stopped them all at the mouth of the alley, looking them over carefully. Kurt admitted to himself that they were a rather ragged looking lot, and he had little hope that they would be able to pass for native Babylonians if they were carefully inspected, let alone if someone tried to speak to them. He gave a little shudder at the thought.

"We'll have to do," Lisbet muttered, her hand going up to shove at her missing glasses. "Thank heavens it's nearly dark now." She led the way out, adopting a tired, slumped posture which served to knock a few inches off her height. Kurt and the others copied the pose, realizing it was the best way to avoid attention for their unusual height.

They kept to the shadows where they could, making their way carefully down toward the closest edge of what Lisbet said was the city wall. Kurt shadowed Lisbet, with Lucy creeping along at his elbow; Theo brought up the rear, watching their surroundings with shadowed eyes. Stifling a dry cough, Kurt spared a moment to hope that they would find water soon, as the dust and heat of the day had left him uncomfortably thirsty.

"They've been fighting," Theo murmured, loudly enough for their party to hear. He gestured at a small pile of debris they had just passed. "Shattered spears, broken slings, bloody armor."

Lucy veered away from Kurt long enough to look more closely at the debris, and shuddered as she took in the bloody evidence of death. "That's horrible," she said softly. "I never thought. Everyone who died in the past – they were just dead, you know? But there were people here, and they died awfully."

"There are few die well that die in a battle," Theo said somberly. He put a gentle hand on her elbow and moved her along. Kurt took her arm again, feeling improbably comforted by her proximity.

"A war, then," Lisbet mused. "And they're clearly using iron. That narrows it down a bit."

They reached an open courtyard, and kept close to the wall, looking in quiet curiosity at the knot of locals clustered around the well. They were speaking quietly, but Kurt realized with a sharp shock that he could understand every word they said.

"Why does he wait?" one woman whispered, face pinched with worry. "The gates stand open and the king has fled. Will his army leave us in peace forever?"

"We have offered tribute to the king of the world," an old man said wearily. "The watchmen say that he has ordered his men not to enter our homes."

"They're speaking English!" Lucy hissed, looking delighted.

"No," Kurt said slowly. "They're not. Listen You can hear their words – they aren't English. We're just understanding them, somehow." His hand drifted up to the back of his head, where the lingering pain reminded him of the implant the Controllers had placed there. "It must be related to the implants."

Theo was frowning at the little group of people. "The king of the world," he repeated thoughtfully. "I know I've read that before. It's an honorific, but I can't remember whose."

"Cyrus the Great, maybe," Lisbet mused, squinting at their surroundings. "Although the technology looks a little advanced for that time."

They crept around the knot of people, hugging the wall, and continued through the streets. It was nearly dark, and the shadows were deep, lit here and there by smoky fires. They followed the line of the wide street, making their way toward the large gate at the edge of the city. It stood high above them, bulky and imposing, lit by fires along the top which were kept by the watchmen. The light of the full moon shone on the gate, on shining blue stone and golden figures of dragons and aurochs. The doors themselves were wood, and stood open, facing onto the plain to the north of the city.

"The Ishtar Gate," Lisbet told them quietly. "It's complete, and not recently. So not Cyrus, then."

Kurt wracked his brain for any memories of history courses on Babylon, but nothing was coming up. He had a vague impression that they might have talked about it briefly before getting to Roman history, but that had been that week when he could not get his acne under control, and his mind had been elsewhere. Now he was standing in the middle of history, faced with what he was pretty sure was one of the Wonders of the World, and he couldn't help but think that he should have paid a little more attention in class.

"If not Cyrus, then-" Theo began, and then stopped cold as heavy hands landed on his shoulders. Kurt jumped as he was grabbed as well, and Lucy gave a little shriek of surprise. Two men stood directly behind them, clothed in what looked like linen-based armor. They were both armed with swords, and wore bronze helmets which gleamed dully in the moonlight. The soldiers had come up on them silently, thick leather sandals hushed by the dust of the streets.

"Why do you stand so near the gate?" The soldier's voice was deep and rough, and under the translation his brain supplied, Kurt could hear that his words weren't the same as the local Babylonians had been speaking. This must be one of the soldiers of the conquering army, whoever they might be.

"We are loyal subjects of the king," Lisbet said firmly, though she kept her head down, not meeting the soldier's eyes. "We have information for him." Kurt swallowed, hoping that his mind wasn't playing tricks on him – because it sounded like she was speaking Greek, or whatever language the soldier had addressed them in. If she was really speaking English, he knew they were in trouble.

"Silence, woman," the other soldier said severely. "We will speak to your sons." Kurt heard Lucy suck in an indignant breath at that, and elbowed her as gently as he could. The soldiers leaned in to look at them more closely. "You are not of this city," the second soldier accused. "Are you spies? Servants of Darius?"

"We answer only to Alexander," Theo said calmly. Kurt gaped at him. His friend rarely sounded so confident, and he was surprised by the answer. Alexander? How did Theo know to use that name?

"The king has no time to speak to peasants," the first soldier spat. "It is punishable by death to spy on the defenses of the army." His hand went to his short sword, and Kurt gulped, pulling Lucy closer.

Theo reached up and pulled the rough covering from his head, revealing his blond hair. "We are not peasants," he said firmly. "We are not of Babylon. We are not to be harmed." The soldiers blinked at one another, and Kurt looked back and forth between his friends, amazed that the tactic seemed to be working. Apparently the note of confidence and command in Theo's voice was enough to convince the soldiers that they should not kill them outright. The first nodded sharply to the second, and they were shoved forward, toward the gate.

"We shall see what the king thinks," the soldier threatened. "He will want to know of strangers in the city, particularly ones so bold. Pray that he finds himself in a merciful mind."

They were marched through the gate, out onto the plain beyond, and the moonlight lit the scene eerily. Kurt looked out on an army of thousands encamped around the city, small fires dotting the landscape of dark shapes. He tried to keep his hand steady on Lucy's arm, but his heart was pounding so hard he was sure she could feel it.

"Yeah, we'll see what the king thinks, alright," she muttered angrily. "Treating us like spies, threatening us, and acting like only you boys are worth talking to." Kurt could feel her trembling, too, although whether from fear of anger he couldn't say. "I think I'll have a thing or two to say to this Alexander, myself."

The soldier behind Kurt drew his sword at that, and his heart leapt into his throat. In an instant, Lisbet was between Lucy and the soldier, head still down, hands extended pleadingly.

"Forgive my daughter," she entreated. "She is young, and overwrought. She speaks when she should be silent."

The soldier grunted and sheathed his sword, shoving them forward again. "You would do well to teach your daughter to know her place."

Lisbet wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders, bending her head in close, looking for all the world like a comforting mother. But Kurt could hear her whispering in Lucy's ear, harsh and fearful.

"Lucy Trevelyan, keep your mouth shut! These are soldiers. We are in the middle of a_war_. Now is not the time to be a good twenty-first century girl, not unless you want to die bloody."

"You can't just be OK with this!" Lucy hissed back, burying her face against Lisbet's shoulder. "To be treated like – like cattle!"

"Look, kid," Lisbet murmured, "you have to give up every idea you have about how things should be. None of it applies here. You can't try to judge this culture by our ideals – it's pointless and stupid. This is where we are, and fighting it will do nothing but get you killed."

They kept silent as they were marched through the camp. The weight in the pit of his stomach grew heavier as they were increasingly surrounded by heavily armed and hostile soldiers. The soldiers shoved them forward toward the center of the camp, where Kurt could see a large, ornate tent commanding the highest point in the camp. One of their accompanying soldiers stepped away, speaking to the guards in front of the entrance in a hushed voice, and the guard ducked into the tent. He returned a moment later and looked at them sternly.

"You will enter," he told them coldly. "Do not speak until bidden. Do not look upon him unless told to do so."

"Wait," Kurt asked frantically, turning to Lisbet in confusion. His mind refused to work, reeling after one too many surprises. "Who?"

"Alexander of Macedon," she said calmly, as if she routinely met leaders of the ancient world.

Theo grinned, wild and bright with excitement and fear, and gestured around them at their surroundings – the army, the tents, Babylon in defeat. "Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair." And they entered the tent of Alexander the GreatFour hours, nine minutes, and fifty-seven seconds.

That's how long he had waited at the restaurant, only for Kurt not to show.

Blaine leaned back in his chair, fuming inwardly. He had emptied the basket of free Italian bread. He had eaten the mozzarella sticks. He had ordered his favorite crab pasta. He had sat around drinking Sprite until he finally ordered Kurt's favorite chocolate lava cake out of spite (and took an even more spiteful picture of the half-eaten cake to post to Facebook). And now, his belt was digging into his navel, his wallet had taken a decently-sized hit, and he had never felt this upset at Kurt in his life.

He didn't know whether to be angry or concerned. Angry, because Kurt had planned this date and then completely ditched him. Concerned, because Kurt hadn't responded to a single text message. Neither had Theo. And when he called the house, Finn told him Kurt had left with Lucy a few hours ago and was probably still out with her.

And Lucy wasn't answering either.

"We've closed," the waitress said, a little less irritable than earlier. "You ready for me to take your bill?"

He nodded, handing over the receipt and his credit card without a word. "Date stood you up, huh?" she said.

He nodded again, staring down at the table. The waitress patted his shoulder in a small gesture of sympathy and headed over to ring up his card. Blaine dropped his head in his hands.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to think. It just didn't make sense. Why would Kurt just…just vanish on him like this? Why would Kurt allow a silly argument to blow out of proportion?

He had just reached the pinnacle of moping, already planning to change into his comfiest pajamas and hide under the covers until things were okay again, when the waitress came back with a strange look on her face.

"You're Blaine Anderson?" she said, holding up his card and receipt.

"That's me," he said.

She handed him the card, then placed a flat rectangular package on the table. "This is yours, then," she said.

Blaine stared at it. "But who-"

A man in a suit walked past. "Young man, we're closed," he said briskly. "We'll open tomorrow at twelve."

The waitress disappeared. Blaine gathered up his things, stuffing the receipt and card in his back pocket, and tucked the mysterious package under his arm.

He dashed through the light summer rain to his car, slamming the door behind him. With a quick jab he flicked the overhead light on and examined it thoroughly. It was plain and nondescript, creased brown paper held together with rumpled clear packing tape.

He picked at the tape carefully, prying it away. The paper slid away, revealing a slim glass panel with beveled black edges. His thumb brushed against the surface and it crackled lightly, as if it was trying to turn on but couldn't quite manage it.

"What on earth is this?" he murmured. He turned it over in his hands, looking for a sign or a clue or something, but he didn't see anything. Not a charging port, not a headphone jack, not a USB drive- nothing. Not even a power button.

He turned it over and over, not even sure what he was looking for, but his stomach twisted in panic. This wasn't good. This couldn't be good at all.

The brown paper slid off his knees and a small scrap of white paper fluttered out. He twisted around in the driver's seat to pick it up and squinted to read the spiky writing.

_I'm on my way. Use this. _  
><em>-M<em>.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

OH MY LORD, THINGS ARE HAPPENING. STUFF'S GOING DOWN. WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.

Okay, not really, but ClioNav _really _tried to stop us from putting this out. But we shall not be silenced! We shall tell you the full story!

And yeah. Stuff's about to happen. Kurt's getting dragged before Alexander the Great...Blaine has to tell Burt Hummel that his baby managed to get kidnapped by time-traveling maniacs. Again.

Stay tuned! Wear your silver!

My tumblr: redbullandcupcakebatter

Kivrin (Meg's) tumblr: kivrinengle

Cedes' tumblr: complexlysimplekiddo

The story and artwork tumblr: Threnody2012

ClioNav's tumblr (beware!)


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